1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to brushes, and more particularly to a windshield wiper blade assembly having plural windshield engaging blades for removing frost, ice, liquid and other visibility impairing contaminants from a vehicle windshield.
2. Background and Description of Prior Art
In northern climates especially during the Fall, Winter and early Spring frost and ice form on the windshields of vehicles. When a vehicle has been left outside overnight, condensation on the vehicle may freeze and frost accumulation can be significant. When a warm vehicle is left outside overnight melted ice and snow may refreeze on the vehicle windshield and the accumulation may be even more significant.
Common methods to remove frost and ice from a vehicle windshield include using a hand held scraper to manually remove the accumulation, or allowing the vehicle to “warm up” sufficiently for the vehicle defroster to become operative to melt the accumulation. Unfortunately, the first method requires a person to be outside the vehicle enduring the elements and perhaps compromising personal safety. The second method requires some period of time for the vehicle motor to warm the heating/cooling system sufficiently for the defroster to become operational. In many instances the period of time may be significant and the amount of fuel consumed to heat the vehicle may also be significant.
Known vehicle windshield wipers have a single flexible windshield engaging blade, typically made of rubber, carried within an elongate frame and are primarily designed to remove liquids from a windshield. Such known windshield wiper blades may brush-away loose accumulations of light snow, but such wiper blades are not sufficiently rigid to “bite” into and remove frost and ice adhering to the windshield. Instead, known windshield wipers typically only pass back and forth over the outer surface of the accumulated frost and ice. A user may apply windshield wiper fluid to melt the accumulated frost and ice so that the liquid removing blade may at least function, but if the outside temperature is sufficiently low, the windshield wiper fluid may freeze and add to the accumulated frost and ice making visibility worse and making the windshield wiper even less effective.
Known “winter wiper blade” assemblies similarly have a single flexible wiper blade supported by an elongate frame. A flexible rubberized boot extends from elongate side portions of the flexible blade and encompasses the elongate frame to prevent snow and ice from accumulating within the frame and interfering with operation of the blade. Despite their name, winter blade assemblies are likewise not designed to remove frost and ice from a vehicle windshield and like standard wiper blades, known winter wiper blades, have insufficient rigidity to “bite” into accumulated frost and ice.
What is needed is a windshield wiper assembly that is releasably attachable to a vehicle windshield wiper arm that effectively removes frost and ice from a windshield using the back-and-forth motion provided by the windshield wiper arm. The assembly must also remove liquids and other visibility impairing contaminants from the vehicle windshield.
My invention overcomes various of the aforementioned drawbacks to known windshield wiper blade assemblies by providing an multi-blade ice removing windshield wiper assembly having plural spaced apart windshield engaging blades. The blades of my invention have sufficient rigidity to “bite” into and remove frost and ice accumulated on a vehicle windshield and my invention has a replaceable flexible windshield wiper blade for removing liquids from the windshield.
A toothed blade “scores” accumulated frost and ice while the windshield wiper arm moves in a first direction. A shaving blade removes the scored frost and ice from the windshield as the windshield wiper arm moves in a second opposite direction. A third flexible liquid removing wiper blade is may be optionally engaged to remove liquids from the windshield after the frost and ice have been removed, or in situations where there is no frost or ice.
My invention does not reside in any one of the identified features individually but rather in the synergistic combination of all of its structures, which give rise to the functions necessarily flowing therefrom as hereinafter specified and claimed.